Display device

ABSTRACT

A display device includes a device housing that is configured to be installed such that an occulted portion including a portion of a peripheral wall of the device housing is hidden from an observer of a display screen, and a slide attaching part that is moved to slide in a sliding direction from a non-occulted portion to the occulted portion and attached so as to cover a back side of the device housing. A slide receiving part including the device housing includes a fixed part provided at the occulted portion and an engaged part provided at the non-occulted portion, and the slide attaching part includes a fixing part provided at a portion corresponding to the occulted portion and configured to be fixed to the fixed part, and an engaging part provided at a portion corresponding to the non-occulted portion and configured to be engaged with the engaged part.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a display device including a displaypanel.

BACKGROUND

Conventionally, a display device including a display panel with adisplay screen such as a liquid crystal display is installed on avehicle and used to display various information (see, for example,Patent Document 1). A display device disclosed in Patent Document 1 isinstalled on a vehicle with an outer periphery of the display devicecovered by a hood provided on an instrument panel. Thus, even whenscrews used for a housing structure are exposed on the outer peripheryof the display device, these screws are hidden by the hood and hardly tobe seen by an observer, providing improved appearance.

Related Art Document

Patent Document 1: JP 2006-162303 A

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Problem to be Solved by the Invention

However, in the above-described display device that requiresinstallation of the hood to improve its appearance, the degree offreedom relating to installation tends to be low because theinstallation position in the vehicle is limited.

In view of the drawbacks as described above, an object of the presentinvention is to provide a display device that can improve the appearanceof the display device without requiring installation of a hood.

Solution to Problem

To achieve the object described above, the present invention provides,in a first aspect, a display device including a device housingconfigured to be installed at a predetermined installation place suchthat an occulted portion of the device housing is hidden from anobserver of a display screen, the display screen being arranged on anopening side of the device housing having a bottomed tube-shape, theocculted portion including a portion of a peripheral wall of the devicehousing, a slide attaching part configured to be attached to the devicehousing so as to cover a side of the device housing on which the displayscreen is arranged, or a back side of the device housing opposite to theside on which the display screen is arranged, the slide attaching partbeing configured to slide in a sliding direction to be attached to thedevice housing, the sliding direction being a direction from anon-occulted portion to the occulted portion or from the occultedportion to the non-occulted portion, the non-occulted portion beingarranged on a side of the device housing opposite to the occultedportion with respect to a central axis of the device housing having thebottomed tube-shape, wherein a slide receiving part including the devicehousing and excluding the slide attaching part includes a fixed partwhich is provided at the occulted portion and on which the slideattaching part is fixed, and an engaged part which is provided at thenon-occulted portion and with which the slide attaching part is engaged,and wherein the slide attaching part includes a fixing part provided ata portion corresponding to the occulted portion and configured to befixed to the fixed part, and an engaging part provided at a portioncorresponding to the non-occulted portion and configured to be engagedwith the engaged part.

Advantageous Effect of the Invention

According to the display device described above, the appearance of thedisplay device can be improved without requiring installation of a hood.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a display deviceaccording to one embodiment is installed on a vehicle;

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-section taken along a line V11-V11 in FIG. 1showing the installed state of the display device of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a front view and a side view of the displaydevice shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 ;

FIG. 4 is a schematic rear view of the display device shown in FIG. 3 ;

FIG. 5 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the display deviceshown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 ;

FIG. 6 is a schematic transparent view showing an arrangement ofindicator substrates and a control substrate inside the display deviceshown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 5 , viewed from the display panel side;

FIG. 7 illustrates an arrangement of the indicator substrate and thecontrol substrate in a schematic longitudinal section of the displaydevice taken along a line V12-V12 in FIG. 6 ;

FIG. 8 shows an arrangement of the indicator substrates and the controlsubstrate in a schematic transverse section of the display device takenalong a line V13-V13 in FIG. 6 ;

FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing the indicator region ofthe display panel;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a display device of a firstmodified example in an orthogonal cross-section with respect to adisplay panel;

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a display device of a secondmodified example in an orthogonal cross-section with respect to adisplay panel;

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing one installation example forinstalling the display device of the second modified example in avehicle;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a device housing viewed from a backside thereof, illustrating how a back cover is attached by sliding it soas to cover the back side of the device housing;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged view of a region A11 shown in FIG. 13 ;

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of the display device seen from the backface side thereof, illustrating how ribs of the back cover shown in FIG.5 guide the sliding of the back cover and position fixing parts of theback cover with respect to fixed parts of the device housing;

FIG. 16 shows a cross-section along a groove bottom face, showing astate where a rib body of the left rib is received in the leftpositioning rail shown in FIG. 15 among positioning rails at twolocations shown in FIG. 15 ;

FIG. 17 is a cross-section along the groove bottom face, showing a statewhere a rib body of the right rib is received in the right positioningrail shown in FIG. 15 among the positioning rails at two locations shownin FIG. 15 ;

FIG. 18 shows a longitudinal section along an up-down direction of anupright position, showing how engaging parts of the back cover engagewith engaged parts of the display panel;

FIG. 19 is an enlarged view of a region A12 surrounding the engagingparts and the engaged parts in FIG. 18 ;

FIG. 20 shows, in a longitudinal section similar to FIG. 18 , howmovement of the back cover is restricted by abutting parts of the backcover abutting on abutted parts of the display panel;

FIG. 21 is an enlarged view of a region A13 shown in FIG. 20 surroundingthe engaging part and the engaged part;

FIG. 22 is an enlarged perspective view of the engaging part and theabutting part provided adjacent to each other on an inner face of theback cover;

FIG. 23 is an enlarged transverse section along the right-left directionshowing the engaging part, the engaged part, the abutting part and theabutted part, illustrating a state in which the engaging part of theback cover shown in FIG. 22 is engaged with the engaged part of thedisplay panel and the abutting part of the back cover is abutted on theabutted part of the display panel;

FIG. 24 is an enlarged perspective view of the engaging part provided onthe inner face of the back cover and not adjacent to the abutting part;

FIG. 25 is an enlarged transverse section along the right-left directionshowing the engaging part and the engaged part, illustrating a state inwhich the engaging part of the back cover shown in FIG. 24 is engagedwith the engaged part of the display panel;

FIG. 26 is an exploded perspective view of a display device of a thirdmodified example;

FIG. 27 is a schematic diagram showing a first stage in attachment ofthe display panel;

FIG. 28 is a schematic diagram showing a second stage in the attachmentof the display panel;

FIG. 29 is a schematic diagram illustrating how sliding movement of thedisplay panel shown in FIG. 27 and FIG. 28 is guided by a guide holereceiving a pin;

FIG. 30 shows an engagement structure for the display panel and thedevice housing in a schematic cross-section taken along a line V41-V41in FIG. 28 ;

FIG. 31 shows the engagement structure for the display panel and thedevice housing in a schematic cross-section taken along a line V42-V42in FIG. 28 ;

FIG. 32 shows a positioning structure for positioning the display panelwith respect to the device housing, viewed from the display panel side;

FIG. 33 shows the positioning structure of FIG. 32 viewed from thedevice housing side; and

FIG. 34 shows the positioning structure of FIG. 32 in a cross-sectiontaken along a line V14-V14 in FIG. 32 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

In the following, one embodiment of a display device is described.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a display deviceaccording to one embodiment is installed on a vehicle, and FIG. 2 showsthe installed state of the display device of FIG. 1 in a schematiccross-section taken along a line V11-V11 in FIG. 1 .

A display device 1 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 is installed on aninstrument panel C112 as an installation place in front of a driver'sseat in a vehicle C11. In this embodiment, the display device 1 isinstalled on the instrument panel C112 in an upright position, with aportion of the display device 1 from a lower end side to a back sideembedded and hidden in the instrument panel C112.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a front view and a side view of the displaydevice shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , FIG. 4 is a schematic rear view ofthe display device shown in FIG. 3 , and FIG. 5 is a schematic explodedperspective view of the display device shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 .

The display device 1 shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 5 includes a display panel11, a device housing 12, a back cover 13, an indicator substrate 14 anda control substrate 15.

The display panel 11 is a panel member in which a liquid crystal screen111 as a display screen and an indicator region 112 aretwo-dimensionally arranged and held by a panel frame 113. The liquidcrystal screen 111 is configured to display various meter images andvarious numerical values. The indicator region 112 is a region where aplurality of indicators 112 a is two-dimensionally arranged in a latticeshape. Each indicator 112 a is a display light configured to displayvarious information by passing the light of a LED light source 141 ofthe indicator substrate 14 to light up. The display panel 11 isinstalled in an upright position such that the liquid crystal screen 111and the indicator region 112 are disposed in front as viewed from anobserver. The indicator regions 112 are disposed on a pair of right andleft positions shifted from the liquid crystal screen 111 in aright-left direction D11 with respect to said upright position.

The device housing 12 is a flat, bottomed rectangular tube-shapedhousing provided with the display panel 11 on an opening side of thedevice housing 12, and the device housing 12 together with the displaypanel 11 defines an accommodating space 121 for the indicator substrates14 and the control substrate 15. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , thedevice housing 12 is installed on the instrument panel C112 in theupright position in a state where a portion of the device housing 12ranging from a peripheral wall on the lower end side to a back face ishidden as an occulted portion 12 a from an observer of the display panel11.

The display panel 11 is installed so as to cover the opening of thedevice housing 12, and its lower end side is fixed to the device housing12 by a plurality of screws 114. A region for the screw fixation at thelower end side of the display panel 11 is a display-side occultedportion 11 a which is embedded and hidden in the instrument panel C112together with the occulted portion 12 a of the device housing 12 asshown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 . A plurality of through holes 115 for screwfixation is formed on the panel frame 113 at a portion corresponding tothis display-side occulted portion 11 a. In the device housing 12, aplurality of screw holes 122 for screw fixation is formed in theocculted portion 12 a on the lower end side at positions facing thethrough holes 115 of the display panel 11. The lower end side of thedisplay panel 11 is fastened and fixed to the device housing 12 with thescrews 114 passed through the through holes 115 and screwed into thescrew holes 122. On the other hand, an upper end side of the displaypanel 11 includes an eave part 116 extending to the back side andextending above the peripheral wall on the upper end side of the devicehousing 12. The eave part 116 includes engaged parts 117 formed at fourlocations with which the back cover 13 is engaged, and abutted parts 118formed at two locations on which the back cover 13 abuts for positioningduring the attachment. The abutted parts 118 at two locations arerespectively disposed adjacent to and on an inner side with respect tothe engaged parts 117 at two locations on the both ends among theengaged parts 117 at four locations aligned in a row.

The back cover 13 is a member which is attached to the device housing 12so as to cover the back side of the device housing 12 with respect tothe side on which the display panel 11 is arranged. The device housing12 includes a non-occulted portion 12 b arranged on the upper end sidethereof opposite to the occulted portion 12 a with respect to a centralaxis 12 c of the device housing 12 having a bottomed rectangulartube-shape, and the back cover 13 is attached by sliding it in a slidingdirection D12 extending from the non-occulted portion 12 b to theocculted portion 12 a. The back cover 13 is a cover which is shaped suchthat its lower end side is widened in a skirt shape and which covers anupper side of the occulted portion 12 a on the back side of the devicehousing 12. Further, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the back cover 13is designed such that it constitutes a design continuous with theinstrument panel C112 when the display device 1 is installed on theinstrument panel C112.

The fixed parts 123 are formed at four locations on the back face of theocculted portion 12 a of the device housing 12 facing the back cover 13,and the back cover 13 is fixed to the fixed parts 123 when it isattached to the device housing 12 by sliding it. Each fixed part 123 isprovided with a screw hole 123 a. Further, on an inner face of thebottom portion widened in the skirt shape, the back cover 13 includesfixing parts 131 at four locations that protrude inwardly so that theirdistal ends abut on the fixed parts 123 at four locations of the devicehousing 12. Each fixing part 131 includes a through hole 131 a for screwfixation. The fixing part 131 of the back cover 13 is fastened and fixedto the fixed part 123 of the device housing 12 by the screw 132 passedthrough the through hole 131 a and screwed into the screw hole 123 a.

Further, a portion of the back cover 13 corresponding to thenon-occulted portion 12 b of the device housing 12 is provided withengaging parts 133 at four locations which are configured to engage withthe engaged parts 117 at four locations provided on the eave part 116 ofthe display panel 11 extending above the non-occulted portion 12 b.Abutting parts 134 at two locations that are configured to abut on theabutted parts 118 provided on the eave part 116 are respectivelydisposed on an inner side of and adjacent to the engaging parts 133 attwo locations on the both ends among the engaging parts 133 at fourlocations aligned in a row. The inner face of the back cover 13 isprovided with ribs 135 at two locations that are configured to positionthe fixing parts 131 of the back cover 13 with respect to the fixedparts 123 of the device housing 12 while guiding the sliding in thesliding direction D12 during the attachment to the device housing 12.

The indicator substrate 14 is a trapezoidal plate-shaped substratemounted with the plurality of LED light sources 141 as light sourcecomponents. Two indicator substrates 14 are disposed inside the devicehousing 12 so as to face the indicator regions 112 on the back face sideof the display panel 11. Each indicator substrate 14 has a right-angletrapezoidal plate-shape in which lengths of an upper base and a lowerbase of the trapezoid are greater than a height of the trapezoid, andone side connecting the upper base and lower base is an oblique side,and the other side is orthogonal to the upper base and the lower base.The indicator substrate 14 is disposed in the upright position in whichits oblique side faces the non-occulted portion 12 b of the devicehousing 12.

The control substrate 15 is a rectangular substrate which is a separatepart from the indicator substrate 14 and on which a control circuit forthe liquid crystal screen 111 is formed. One control substrate 15 isdisposed inside the device housing 12 at a position further back side ofthe indicator substrate 14 when viewed from the display panel 11. Inthis embodiment, the control substrate 15 serves to perform an overallcontrol of the display device 1 including control of the liquid crystalscreen 111 and also control of the indicator substrates 14. The controlsubstrate 15 is disposed inside the device housing 12 on the side of theocculted portion 12 a and is arranged in a horizontally-orientedposition in which a long side of the rectangle is arranged along theright-left direction D11 in the upright position.

FIG. 6 is a schematic transparent view showing the arrangement of theindicator substrates and the control substrate inside the display deviceshown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 5 , viewed from the display panel side. FIG. 7illustrates the arrangement of the indicator substrate and the controlsubstrate in a schematic longitudinal section of the display devicetaken along a line V12-V12 in FIG. 6 . FIG. 8 shows the arrangement ofthe indicator substrates and the control substrate in a schematictransverse section of the display device taken along a line V13-V13 inFIG. 6 . In FIG. 6 to FIG. 8 , the back cover 13 is not shown.

As shown in FIG. 6 to FIG. 8 , on the back face side of the displaypanel 11, the control substrate 15 of the display device 1 is arrangedfurther distant from the display panel 11 than the indicator substrate14 and is arranged so as not to face a portion of each of the liquidcrystal screen 111 and the indicator substrates 14. Specifically, thecontrol substrate 15 is arranged so as not to face a portion of an upperend side of each of the liquid crystal screen 111 and the indicatorsubstrates 14 with respect to an up-down direction D13 in the uprightposition. As a result of this arrangement, on the upper end side in theup-down direction D13 of the device housing 12, i.e., in thenon-occulted portion 12 b, only the indicator substrates 14 which arenearer the liquid crystal screen 111 than the control substrate 15 arepresent inside of the device housing 12. Thus, the device housing 12 isformed in a stepped shape in the up-down direction in which thenon-occulted portion 12 b is thinner compared with the lower end side inthe up-down direction D13, i.e., with the side of the occulted portion12 a.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 , the back cover 13 is formedinto a tapered shape tapered toward the upper side in the side view soas to follow the stepped shape of the device housing 12 in which thenon-occulted portion 12 b on the upper end side is thinner.

On the other hand, inside of the device housing 12, the lower end sidesof the indicator substrates 14 face the control substrate 15. In thisembodiment, the control substrate 15 is configured to perform not onlythe control of the liquid crystal screen 111 but also the control of theindicator substrates 14. In order to perform such control, the indicatorsubstrates 14 and the control substrate 15 are connector connected(i.e., connected via connector connection) to each other at theiropposing portions. In this embodiment, in the display panel 11, theindicator regions 112 display information by receiving the light of theLED light sources 141 of the indicator substrates 14 configured to beturned on and off under the control by the control substrate 15, theindicator regions 112 being configured as described below.

FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing the indicator region ofthe display panel.

FIG. 9 shows the left indicator region 112 of the right and left pair ofthe indicator regions 112 of the display panel 11. As shown in FIG. 9 ,the indicator region 112 is provided with a diffusing portion 112 b anda blocking portion 112 c. The diffusing portion 112 b is formed by agroup of indicators 112 a that are two-dimensionally arranged in alattice shape, and the diffusing portion 112 b passes the light of theLED light sources 141 while diffusing it. The blocking portion 112 c isa portion formed so as to surround the diffusing portion 112 b to blockvarious stray lights and including a fixing flange 112 d for fixing theindicator region 112 to the panel frame 113. The fixing flange 112 d ofthe blocking portion 112 c includes a plurality of through holes 112 efor screw fixation. In this embodiment, in the indicator region 112, thediffusing portion 112 b and the blocking portion 112 b are formedintegrally by two-color molding using a milky-colored resin thatdiffuses light and an opaque resin that blocks light.

According to the above-described substrate structure of the displaydevice 1 of this embodiment, advantageous effects as described below canbe provided.

That is, according to the display device 1 described above, the controlsubstrate 15 and the indicator substrates 14, which correspondrespectively to the liquid crystal screen 111 and the indicator regions112 that are two-dimensionally arranged on the display panel 11, areprovided separately from each other. Further, the control substrate 15positioned farther from the display panel 11 than the indicatorsubstrates 14 is arranged so as not to face a portion of each of theliquid crystal screen 111 and the indicator substrates 14. Thus, for theregion of the non-occulted portion 12 b where the control substrate 15is not facing each of the liquid crystal screen 111 and the indicatorsubstrates 14, there is no increase in a thickness by the controlsubstrate 15, thus the thickness of the display device 1 can be reduced.That is, according to this embodiment, it is possible to reduce thethickness of the display device 1 for at least a portion thereof

In this embodiment, the display panel 11 is configured to be installedin the upright position, and the indicator regions 112 of the displaypanel 11 are disposed at a position shifted from the liquid crystalscreen 111 in the right-left direction D11 with respect to the uprightposition. In addition, the control substrate 15 is disposed so as not toface a portion of the upper end side of each of the liquid crystalscreen 111 and the indicator substrates 14 with respect to the up-downdirection D13 in the upright position. According to this configuration,with respect to the display device 1 in the upright position, it ispossible to reduce the thickness of the partial region on the upper endside of each of the liquid crystal screen 111 and the indicatorsubstrates 14 with which the control substrate 15 does not face, asshown in FIG. 7 . In this embodiment, this region on the upper end sidewhich can be made thinner can be used as a protruding portion in thecase where a portion of the display device 1 protrude from theinstrument panel C112 as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 . That is, accordingto the above-described configuration, it is possible to improve theappearance of the display device 1 when it is put in the protrudedarrangement as described above.

Further, in this embodiment, the indicator substrates 14 and the controlsubstrate 15 are connector connected to each other. According to thisconfiguration, as compared with the case where the indicator substrates14 and the control substrate 15 are cable connected (i.e., connected viaconnector connection), it is possible to reduce the space required forconnecting the substrates and this is preferable.

Further, in this embodiment, the display device 1 includes the devicehousing 12 that together with the display panel 11 defines theaccommodating space 121 for the indicator substrates 14 and the controlsubstrate 15. According to this configuration, the indicator substrates14 and the control substrate 15 are accommodated in the device housing12 together, thus the number of components related to the housing can bereduced, and this is preferable.

Further, in this embodiment, for the indicator region 112 in the displaypanel 11, the diffusing portion 112 b passing the light from the LEDlight sources 141 while diffusing it and the blocking portion 112 csurrounding the diffusing portion 112 b to block the light are formedintegrally by two-color molding. According to this configuration, lightleakage and luminance unevenness in the indicator region 112 can besuppressed as compared with the case where the diffusing portion 112 band the blocking portion 112 c are formed as the separate parts, thusthe thickness of the display device 1 including the indicator regions112, i.e., the display panel 11, can be reduced further, and this ispreferable.

We pause the explanation of the display device 1 of the embodiment shownin FIG. 1 to FIG. 9 , and will describe several modified examples withrespect to this embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a display device of the firstmodified example in an orthogonal cross-section with respect to thedisplay panel.

In the display device 2 of the first modified example, a controlsubstrate 25 is disposed such that it is entirely not facing each of aliquid crystal screen 211 and indicator substrates 24 of a display panel21. Specifically, the control substrate 25 is disposed on the lower endside of the indicator substrate 24 with respect to an up-down directionD23 in the upright position, such that the control substrate 25 isarranged along an intersecting direction D24 with respect to theindicator substrates 24. With this substrate arrangement, the indicatorsubstrates 24 and the control substrate 25 form an L-shape in thecross-sectional view as shown in FIG. 10 , and a device housing 22accommodating the indicator substrates 24 and the control substrate 25is also an L-shaped housing. Further, in this first modified examplealso, the indicator substrates 24 and the control substrate 25 areconnector connected to each other.

In the configuration of the above-described first modified example also,it is possible to reduce the thickness of the display device 2 for atleast a portion thereof as in the case of the above-describedembodiment.

Further, according to the configuration of the first modified example,each of the liquid crystal screen 211 and the indicator substrates 24 ofthe display panel 21 in the upright position is entirely not facing thecontrol substrate 25, thus it is possible to reduce the thickness of theentire part corresponding to the display panel 21.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a display device of the secondmodified example in an orthogonal cross-section with respect to thedisplay panel.

A display device 3 of the second modified example includes two housings,namely a first device housing 32-1 and a second device housing 32-2. Thefirst device housing 32-1 is a flat, bottomed rectangular tube-shapedhousing which together with a display panel 31 defines a firstaccommodating space 321 for accommodating an indicator substrate 34. Thesecond device housing 32-2 is a flat, bottomed rectangular tube-shapedhousing which is disposed on the back side of the first device housing32-1 and which defines a second accommodating space 324 foraccommodating the control substrate 35.

In the second modified example, unlike the above-described embodimentand the first modified example, the indicator substrate 34 is aself-control type substrate mounted with a control circuit that performson-off control of the mounted light sources. Further, the controlsubstrate 35 is a dedicated substrate that performs only the control ofa liquid crystal screen 311 of the display panel 31. Further, in thissecond modified example, the display device 3 includes a connectingcable 36 that electrically connects the liquid crystal screen 311 of thedisplay panel 31 defining the first accommodating space 321 to thecontrol substrate 35 accommodated in the second accommodating space 324.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing one installation example forinstalling the display device of the second modified example in avehicle.

In the installation example shown in FIG. 12 , the display device 3 isdisposed in front of the driver's seat in a vehicle C31 as if thedisplay panel 31 is floating. In this installation example, the seconddevice housing 32-2 accommodating the control substrate 35 supports,from the back side, the first device housing 32-1 which accommodates theindicator substrates 34 and to which the display panel 31 is fixed. Thatis, one end edge of the second device housing 32-2 is fixed to the backface of the first device housing 32-1, and the other end edge isembedded and fixed to the instrument panel C312 as the installationplace. The connecting cable 36 is wired from the control substrate 35through the junction of the first device housing 32-1 and the seconddevice housing 32-2 to the liquid crystal screen 311.

In the configuration of the above-described second modified examplealso, it is possible to reduce the thickness of the display device 3 forat least a portion thereof as in the case of the above-describedembodiment.

Further, according to the configuration of the second modified example,the control substrate 35 is accommodated in the second device housing32-2 that is a separate part from the first device housing 32-1 definingthe accommodating space for the indicator substrates 34 together withthe display panel 31 viewed by an observer. According to thisconfiguration in which the housings are formed as separate parts, it ispossible to reduce the entire thickness of the housing that is viewed byan observer.

In addition, the second modified example is further provided with theconnecting cable 36 that electrically connects the indicator substrates34 accommodated in the first accommodating space 321 and the controlsubstrate 35 accommodated in the second accommodating space 324.According to this configuration, it is possible to improve the degree offreedom for the design of installation of the display device 3, such asto place the first device housing 32-1 and the second device housing32-2 distant from each other, in addition to the installation exampleshown in FIG. 12 .

The description of the first and second modified examples ends here, andnow we return to the explanation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 toFIG. 9 .

As illustrated schematically with reference to FIG. 3 to FIG. 5 , in thedisplay device 1 of this embodiment, the back cover 13 is attached bysliding it so as to cover the back side of the device housing 12. Thefixed parts 123 at four locations are formed on the back face of thedevice housing 12, and the fixing parts 131 at four locations are formedon the back cover 13.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the device housing viewed from the backside thereof, illustrating how the back cover is attached by sliding itso as to cover the back side of the device housing. FIG. 14 is anenlarged view of a region A11 shown in FIG. 13 .

Again, in the display device 1 of this embodiment, the back cover 13 isattached so as to cover the back side of the device housing 12 withrespect to the side on which the display panel 11 is arranged. The backcover 13 is attached by sliding it in the sliding direction D12 from thenon-occulted portion 12 b on the upper end side of the device housing 12in the upright position toward the occulted portion 12 a on the lowerend side. That is, in this embodiment, the back cover 13 corresponds toa slide attaching part which is attached to the device housing 12 by thesliding. The structure constituted of the display panel 11 and thedevice housing 12 corresponds to a slide receiving part, the slidereceiving part including the device housing 12 but excluding the slideattaching part.

For the back cover 13, the through holes 131 a of the fixing parts 131at four locations are moved to slide to a position where they overlapthe screw holes 123 a of the fixed parts 123 at four locations providedon the back face of the occulted portion 12 a of the device housing 12.As shown in FIG. 14 , the fixed part 123 is formed as a boss whichprotrudes in a cylindrical shape and inside of which is the screw hole123 a. The back face of the device housing 12 as the slide receivingpart is provided with guide slopes 125, the guide slope 125 beingprovided one for each fixed part 123 and configured to guide the fixingpart 131 to a distal end face of the boss as the fixed part 123 duringthe attachment of the back cover 13 as the slide attaching part. Theguide slope 125 is a slope portion arranged adjacent to the boss as thefixed part 123, which extends in the sliding direction D12 toward thedistal end face of the boss where the screw hole 123 a opens and whichhas a height that gradually increases with respect to the slidingdirection D12.

Further, as briefly described with reference to FIG. 5 , the inner faceof the back cover 13 is provided with the ribs 135 at two locationsconfigured to position the fixing parts 131 of the back cover 13 withrespect to the fixed parts 123 of the device housing 12 while guidingthe sliding in the sliding direction D12. In the following, theconfiguration of the rib 135 is described in detail.

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of the display device seen from the backface side thereof, illustrating how the ribs of the back cover shown inFIG. 5 guide the sliding of the back cover and position the fixing partsof the back cover with respect to the fixed parts of the device housing.

As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 15 , the rib 135 includes an eave-shaped rib135 a protruding in a U-shape in a front view from the inner face of theback cover 13, and a rib body 135 b formed so as to extend in thesliding direction D12 from an outer bottom face of the eave-shaped rib135 a. The ribs 135 are provided at positions nearer the both ends inthe right-left direction D11 of the inner face of the back cover 13 andon the out side of the fixing parts 131 at four locations aligned in arow.

On the other hand, the back face of the device housing 12 is providedwith positioning rails 126 for receiving the rib bodies 135 b of theribs 135 which are formed at two locations on a boundary portion betweena thinned portion of the non-occulted portion 12 b on the upper end sideand a thick portion on the side of the occulted portion 12 a below thethinned portion. Each positioning rail 126 extends in the slidingdirection D12 to receive the rib body 135 b during the attachment of theback cover 13 in order to position the fixing part 131 of the back cover13 with respect to the fixed part 123. Each positioning rail 126 is agroove portion opening such that, on the side of the groove portion fromwhich the rib body 135 b is received during the attachment of the backcover 13 of the display device 1, the groove portion opens wider thanthe rest of the portion. Further, the positioning rails 126 at twolocations are provided at positions nearer the both ends in theright-left direction D11 of the back face of the device housing 12 andon the out side of the fixed parts 123 at four locations aligned in arow.

FIG. 16 shows a cross-section along the groove bottom face, showing astate where the rib body of the left rib is received in the leftpositioning rail shown in FIG. 15 among the positioning rails at twolocations shown in FIG. 15 . Further, FIG. 17 is a cross-section alongthe groove bottom face, showing a state where the rib body of the rightrib is received in the right positioning rail shown in FIG. 15 among thepositioning rails at two locations shown in FIG. 15 .

As shown in FIG. 15 to FIG. 17 , the rib body 135 b of the left rib 135is received so as to abut on a left inner face 126L of the opposing pairof inner faces of the left positioning rail 126. On the other hand, therib body 135 b of the right rib 135 is received so as to abut on a rightinner face 126R of the pair of inner faces of the right positioning rail126. As a result of such receiving configuration, the back cover 13slides in the sliding direction D12 in a state where the relativeposition thereof in the right-left direction D11 with respect to thedevice housing 12 is uniquely positioned. Both of the back cover 13 andthe device housing 12 include the fixing parts 131 and the fixed parts123, respectively, that are formed at positions corresponding to suchunique relative positional relationship. As a result, when the backcover 13 is moved to slide in a state where the rib bodies 135 b of theleft and right ribs 135 are received in the left and right positioningrails 126, the fixing parts 131 are positioned relative to the fixedparts 123. More specifically, the through holes 131 a of the fixingparts 131 are positioned so as to communicate with the screw holes 123 aof the fixed parts 123.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15 , the back cover 13 as the slideattaching part is attached with respect to the structure as the slidereceiving part in which the display panel 11 is attached to the devicehousing 12. In this slide receiving part, the eave part 116 formed onthe upper end side of the back face of the display panel 11 extendsabove the peripheral wall on the upper end side of the device housing12. In addition, as briefly described with reference to FIG. 5 , theeave part 116 is provided with the engaged parts 117 at four locationswith which the back cover 13 is engaged, and the abutted parts 118 attwo locations on which the back cover 13 abuts. Further, on the upperend side of the back cover 13, there are provided the engaging parts 133at four locations which engage with the engaged parts 117 at fourlocations provided on the eave part 116 of the display panel 11, and theabutting parts 134 at two locations which abut on the abutted parts 118.

FIG. 18 shows a longitudinal section along the up-down direction of theupright position, showing how the engaging parts of the back coverengage with the engaged parts of the display panel, and FIG. 19 is anenlarged view of a region A12 surrounding the engaging parts and theengaged parts in FIG. 18 .

As shown in FIG. 18 , when assembling the display device 1, as the backcover 13 is slid in the sliding direction D12, the through holes 131 aof the fixing parts 131 communicate with the screw holes 123 a of thefixed parts 123 of the device housing 12 on the lower end side in theup-down direction D13. On the other hand, on the upper end side, theengaging parts 133 engage with the engaged parts 117 provided on theeave part 116 of the display panel 11, as shown in FIG. 18 and FIG. 19 .The engaged part 117 of the display panel 11 is a small region on theeave part 116 where an engaging hole 117 a or an engaging recess 117 bis provided. As described above, the eave part 116 of the display panel11 is provided with the engaged parts 117 at four locations that arealigned in a row in the right-left direction D11. Among the engagedparts 117 at four locations, the engaged parts 117 at two locations onthe both ends are provided with the engaging recesses 117 b, and theengaged parts 117 at two locations nearer the center are provided withthe engaging holes 117 a. The engaged part 117 provided with theengaging hole 117 a is shown in FIG. 18 and FIG. 19 , and the engagingrecess 117 b is shown in FIG. 23 described later.

The engaging part 133 on the back cover 13 is an engaging clawconfigured to be fitted into and engaged with the engaging hole 117 a orthe engaging recess 117 b. This engaging claw as the engaging part 133is formed such that its cross-sectional shape of the longitudinalsection along the sliding direction D12 and intersecting the back cover13 is a tapered shape tapered toward the distal end. On the other hand,the shape of the engaging claw as the engaging part 133 as viewed from aplan-view direction D14 with respect to the back cover 13 is a press-fitshape which will be described later with reference to FIG. 23 and FIG.24 .

In this embodiment, the movement of the back cover 13 is restricted whenthe back cover 13 reaches the attachment position where the fixing parts131 overlap the fixed parts 123 such that the through holes 131 acommunicate with the screw holes 123 a. This restriction of movement isperformed by the abutting parts 134 of the back cover 13 abutting on theabutted parts 118 of the display panel 11.

FIG. 20 shows, in a longitudinal section similar to FIG. 18 , how themovement of the back cover is restricted by the abutting parts of theback cover abutting on the abutted parts of the display panel, and FIG.21 is an enlarged view of a region A13 shown in FIG. 20 surrounding theengaging part and the engaged part.

The abutted part 118 of the display panel 11 in the display device 1 isa portion on which the abutting part 134 abuts when the back cover 13reaches the attachment position where the fixing parts 131 overlap withthe fixed parts 123 such that the through holes 131 a communicate withthe screw holes 123 a. With the abutting parts 134 abutting on theabutted parts 118, the abutted parts 118 restrict the movement of theback cover 13 exceeding the attachment position described above. Thisrestriction of movement maintains the communication between the throughholes 131 a and the screw holes 123 a. The abutted part 118 is a smallregion on the eave part 116 of the display panel 11 on which theabutting part 134 abuts. On the other hand, the abutting part 134 of theback cover 13 is a protruded part protruding in the sliding directionD12 from the inner face on the upper end side of the back cover 13 andprotruding for a protruding amount that the back cover 13 abuts on theabutted parts 118 of the eave part 116 when the back cover 13 reachesthe attachment position described above.

Further, in this embodiment, the abutted parts 118 are provided adjacentto the engaged parts 117 in the eave part 116 of the display panel 11.Further, on the inner face of the back cover 13, the abutting part 134is provided adjacent to the engaging part 133.

First, as shown in FIG. 5 , the upper end side portion of the inner faceof the back cover 13 corresponding to the non-occulted portion 12 b ofthe device housing 12 is provided with the engaging parts 133 at fourlocations that are aligned in a row in the right-left direction D11. Theabutting parts 134 of the back cover 13 are provided at two locationsadjacent to, within said alignment, each of the engaging parts 133 attwo locations on both ends among the engaging parts 133 at fourlocations.

FIG. 22 is an enlarged perspective view of the engaging part and theabutting part provided adjacent to each other on the inner face of theback cover. The enlarged region shown in FIG. 22 corresponds to a cornerportion located on the upper right end side in the right-left directionD11 of the back cover 13 when the back cover 13 is viewed from the sideof the display panel 11.

As shown in FIG. 22 , the engaging part 133 of the back cover 13includes a pair of claw ribs 133 a and a connecting rib 133 b. The pairof claw ribs 133 a are rib portions each having a tapered shape shown inFIG. 19 and arranged to face each other in the right-left direction D11.Further, the connecting rib 133 b is a rib portion that connects thepair of claw ribs 133 a in the right-left direction D11 in a back sideof the back cover 13. The adjacent abutting part 134 on the inner sidewith respect to this engaging part 133 has the similar shape and thusincludes a pair of abutting ribs 134 a and a connecting rib 134 b. Thepair of abutting ribs 134 a is rib portions provided so as to face eachother in the right-left direction D11 and each protruding in the slidingdirection D12 for the protruding amount that it abuts on the abuttedpart 118 of the display panel 11 when it is in the attachment positiondescribed with reference to FIG. 18 and FIG. 20 . Further, theconnecting rib 134 b is a rib portion that connects the pair of abuttingribs 134 a in the right-left direction D11 in a back side of the backcover 13.

FIG. 23 is an enlarged transverse section along the right-left directionshowing the engaging part, the engaged part, the abutting part and theabutted part, illustrating a state in which the engaging part of theback cover shown in FIG. 22 is engaged with the engaged part of thedisplay panel, and the abutting part of the back cover is abutted on theabutted part of the display panel.

As shown in FIG. 23 , when the back cover 13 reaches the attachmentposition described above, the engaging part 133 of the back cover 13engages with the engaged part 117 of the eave part 116 of the displaypanel 11 and the abutting part 134 abuts on the abutted part 118, thusthe sliding of the back cover 13 stops. At this time, the engaged part117 provided adjacent to the abutted part 118 on the eave part 116 ofthe display panel 11 is a pouch-shaped portion provided with an engagingrecess 117 a. A width dimension W11 of the engaging claw as the engagingpart 133 when viewed from the plan-view direction D14 with respect tothe back cover 13 is a dimension that the engaging claw press-fits intothe engaging recess. This press-fitting uniquely determines the positionof the back cover 13 in the right-left direction D11 with respect to theslide receiving part which is the combination of the display panel 11and the device housing 12. Consequently, the fixing parts 131 of theback cover 13 are positioned in the right-left direction D11 withrespect to the fixed parts 123 of the device housing 12. Thispositioning by the press-fitting of the engaging parts 133 is alsoperformed similarly for the engagement portions 133 at two locations,among the engaging parts 133 at four locations, that are nearer thecenter and not adjacent to the abutting parts 134.

FIG. 24 is an enlarged perspective view of the engaging part provided onthe inner face of the back cover and not adjacent to the abutting part.Further, FIG. 25 is an enlarged transverse section along the right-leftdirection showing the engaging part and the engaged part, illustrating astate in which the engaging part of the back cover shown in FIG. 24 isengaged with the engaged part of the display panel.

The engaging part 133 provided on the inner face of the back cover 13nearer the center in the right-left direction D11 and not adjacent tothe abutting part 134 has a shape similar to the engaging part 133 onthe both ends and adjacent to the abutting part 134. That is, theengaging part 133 has a shape including the pair of claw ribs 133 a andthe connecting rib 133 b. In contrast, the engaged part 117 provided onthe eave part 116 of the display panel 11 nearer the center in theright-left direction D11 and not adjacent to the abutted part 118 isprovided with an engaging hole 117 b penetrating the eave part 116,unlike the engaged part 117 on the both ends. The engaging claw as theengaging part 133 nearer the center has a width dimension W11 whenviewed from the plan-view direction D14 that is a dimension that theengaging claw press-fits to the engaging hole 117 b of the engaged part117. This press-fitting performed nearer the center also contributes tothe positioning of the fixing parts 131 of the back cover 13 withrespect to the fixed parts 123 of the device housing 12 during theattachment of the back cover 13.

The above-described attachment structure of the back cover 13 of thedisplay device 1 of this embodiment can provide advantageous effects asdescribed below.

That is, according to the display device 1 described above, the backcover 13 as the slide attaching part is attached with respect to theslide receiving part including the device housing 12 by sliding it inthe sliding direction D12 from the non-occulted portion 12 b toward theocculted portion 12 a of the device housing 12. In addition, the fixingof the back cover 13 is performed by the engagement at the non-occultedportion 12 b and the fixation at the occulted portion 12 a. In thenon-occulted portion 12 b of the device housing 12, the engaging parts133 of the back cover 13 are simply engaged with the engaged parts 117of the display panel 11 that constitutes the slide receiving parttogether with the device housing 12, thus no fixing component such as ascrew is exposed on its outer periphery. On the other hand, the fixingof the fixing parts 131 of the back cover 13 with respect to the fixedparts 123 of the device housing 12 is performed in the occulted portion12 a of the device housing 12, thus even when the screws 132 are used toperform this fixing, these screws 132 will be hidden from an observer ofthe liquid crystal screen 111 when installed. Thus, according to thedisplay device 1 described above, by adopting the sliding, theengagement, and the fixation at the occulted portion 12 a, it ispossible to improve the appearance without requiring installation of ahood for hiding the fixing components exposed on the outer peripherydescribed above. Further, since the hood is not required in theinstallation, it is possible to improve the degree of freedom of theattachment position and it is also possible to improve the design wheninstalled.

In this embodiment, the screw hole 123 a is provided in the fixed part123 of the device housing 12. On the other hand, the fixing part 131 ofthe back cover 13 is a portion which protrudes so as to overlap thefixed parts 123 and on which the through hole 131 a for screw fixationis provided at a position communicating with the screw hole 123 a.According to this configuration, the fixation in the occulted portion 12a is performed by screwing the screw 132 into the screw hole 123 a ofthe fixed part 123 of the device housing 12 via the through hole 131 aof the fixing part 131 of the back cover 13. Thus, according to theabove-described configuration, the screw 132 which is a common fixingcomponent and which is easy to use is adopted expecting that theocculted portion 12 a is hidden when installed, thus the fixing strengthcan be improved and the workability can be improved.

In this embodiment, the fixed part 123 is a boss protruding in acylindrical shape and including the screw hole 123 a therein. Further,the device housing 12 is provided with the guide slope 125 disposedadjacent to the boss and configured to guide the fixing part 131 to thedistal end face of the boss during the attachment of the back cover 13.The guide slope 125 is a slope which extends in the sliding directionD12 toward the distal end face of the boss where the screw hole 123 aopens, and which has a height that gradually increases with respect tothe sliding direction D12. According to this configuration, the fixingpart 131 is smoothly guided to the distal end face of the boss as thefixed part 123 by the guide slope 125 of the device housing 12 whenattaching the back cover 13. This guiding by the guide slope 125 canfurther improve the workability regarding the attachment of the backcover 13.

Further, in this embodiment, the engaging recess 117 a or the engaginghole 117 b is provided in the engaged part 117 of the display panel 11that constitutes the slide receiving part. The engaging part 133 on theback cover 13 is engaging claws configured to be fitted into and engagedwith the engaging recess 117 a or the engaging hole 117 b. According tothis configuration, by fitting the engaging claws as the engaging part133 into the engaging recess 117 a or the engaging hole 117 b in theengaged part 117, it is possible to effectively prevent the situationsuch as, for the non-occulted portion 12 b, the back cover 13 isaccidentally detached from the device housing 12.

Further, in this embodiment, the engaging claw as the engaging part 133is formed such that the cross-sectional shape thereof along the slidingdirection D12 and intersecting the back cover 13 is a tapered shapetapered toward the distal end. According to this configuration, with thesliding of the back cover 13, the engaging claw having the tapered shapeis smoothly fitted into the engaging recess 117 a or the engaging hole117 b of the display panel 11, thus it is possible to further improvethe workability regarding the attachment of the back cover 13.

Further, in this embodiment, the width dimension W11 of the engagingclaw as the engaging part 133 when viewed from the plan-view directionD14 with respect to the back cover 13 is a dimension that the engagingclaw press-fits to the engaging recess 117 a or the engaging hole 117 b.By this press-fitting, the fixing parts 131 of the back cover 13 arepositioned with respect to the fixed parts 123 of the device housing 12.According to this configuration, the press-fitting of the engaging clawscan suppress the backlash of the engagement and can suppress abnormalnoise caused for example by component impingement repeated in theengaging part due to running vibrations in the use state where thedisplay device is installed on the vehicle C11.

Further, in this embodiment, the display panel 11 forming the slidereceiving part is provided with the abutted parts 118 on which the backcover 13 abuts during the attachment of the back cover 13 when the backcover 13 is moved to the attachment position where the fixing parts 131overlap with the fixed parts 123. In addition, the back cover 13 isprovided with the abutting parts 134 which abut on the abutted parts 118when the back cover 13 reaches the above-described attachment position.The abutting of the abutting parts 134 with respect to the abutted parts118 restricts the movement of the back cover 13 exceeding theabove-described attachment position. According to this configuration,the movement of the back cover 13 is restricted by the abutting parts134 of the back cover 13 abutting on the abutted parts 118 of thedisplay panel 11, thereby positioning the fixing parts 131 in thesliding direction D12 with respect to the fixed parts 123. Thispositioning can further improve the workability regarding the attachmentof the back cover 13.

Further, in this embodiment, the abutted parts 118 are provided adjacentto the engaged parts 117 in the display panel 11, and the abutting parts134 are provided adjacent to the engaging parts 133 in the back cover13. According to this configuration, by engaging the engaging parts 133with the engaged parts 117, the abutting parts 134 disposed adjacent tothe engaging parts 133 can be successfully abutted on the abutted parts118 disposed adjacent to the engaged parts 117 without positionaldisplacement and such.

Further, in this embodiment, the back cover 13 is provided with the ribs135 formed so as to extend in the sliding direction D12. In addition,the device housing 12 is provided with the positioning rails 126extending in the sliding direction D12 and configured to receive theribs 135 during the attachment of the back cover 13 to position thefixing parts 131 with respect to the fixed parts 123. According to thisconfiguration, by sliding the back cover 13 so that the ribs 135 of theback cover 13 are received in the positioning rails 126 of the devicehousing 12, the fixing parts 131 can be successfully positioned withrespect to the fixed parts 123.

Further, in this embodiment, the positioning rail 126 of the devicehousing 12 is a groove portion that opens so that the side thereof thatreceives the rib 135 during the attachment of the back cover 13 opensmore widely than the rest of the portion. According to thisconfiguration, the ribs 135 can be smoothly entered into the positioningrails 126 during the attachment of the back cover 13.

Further, in this embodiment, the slide attaching part is the back cover13 which is configured to be attached to cover the back side of thedevice housing 12. According to this configuration, the back cover 13 asthe slide attaching part can be attached such that the fixation screws132 are not visible by an observer of the liquid crystal screen 111,thereby improving the appearance of the display device 1 including theback cover 13.

We pause the explanation of the display device 1 of the embodiment shownin FIG. 1 to FIG. 9 and FIG. 13 to FIG. 25 , and will describe a thirdmodified example which is also different from the first and secondmodified examples shown in FIG. 10 to FIG. 12 .

FIG. 26 is an exploded perspective view of a display device of a thirdmodified example.

In a display device 4 of the third modified example, a display panel 41including a liquid crystal screen 411 as the slide attaching part isattached to a device housing 42 so as to cover the side of the devicehousing 42 on which the liquid crystal screen 411 is arranged. In thisthird modified example, the back cover is not provided, and the devicehousing 42 corresponds to the slide receiving part.

In this modified example, the display panel 41 is attached to the devicehousing 42 by sliding it in a sliding direction D42 from an occultedportion 42 a located on the lower end side of the device housing 42 inthe upright position toward a non-occulted portion 42 b located on theupper end side of the device housing 42. In this modified example, thefollowing configuration for guiding this sliding is provided. First, thedevice housing 42 is provided with a pin 421 protruding toward thedisplay panel 41. Further, the display panel 41 is provided with a guidehole 412 which is formed in an elongated hole-shape extending in thesliding direction D42 and which is configured to receive the pin 421during the attachment of the display panel 41 to guide the slidingmovement of the display panel 41.

The pin 421 is provided in the occulted portion 42 a on the lower endside of the device housing 42. Further, the occulted portion 42 a isprovided with bosses as the fixed parts 422 of the device housing 42which are configured to fix the display panel 41 with screws and whichare disposed at four locations aligned in a row in the right-leftdirection D41 together with the pin 421, the boss protruding in acylindrical shape and including a screw hole 422 a therein.

The guide hole 412 is formed in a region on the lower end side of thedisplay panel 41 which overlaps the occulted portion 42 a of the devicehousing 42 and which is hidden together with the occulted portion 42 aof the device housing 42 when the device housing 42 is installed in anupright position to the instrument panel C112 as shown in FIG. 1 .Further, this region on the lower end side is provided with fixing parts413 at four locations configured to be fixed to the fixed parts 422 ofthe device housing 42 and aligned in a row in the right-left directionD41 together with the guide hole 412. Each fixing part 413 is a smallregion in the region on the lower end side of the display panel 41 wherethrough holes 413 a for screw fixation are formed.

The display panel 41 is attached to the device housing 42 via stages asdescribed below.

FIG. 27 is a schematic diagram showing the first stage in the attachmentof the display panel, and FIG. 28 is a schematic diagram showing thesecond stage in the attachment of the display panel.

In the display device 4 of this modified example, in the first stageshown in FIG. 27 , the display panel 41 is placed onto the devicehousing 42 so that the pin 421 penetrates the guide hole 412 at aposition displaced to a corner on an upper end side of the guide hole412. In this stage, the display panel 41 is displaced downward relativeto the device housing 42. Thereafter, the display panel 41 is moved toslide in the sliding direction D42, and the positional displacement ofthe display panel 41 with respect to the device housing 42 is eliminatedas in shown in FIG. 28 as the second stage. The sliding movement of thedisplay panel 41 at this time is guided by the guide hole 412 receivingthe pin 421.

FIG. 29 is a schematic diagram illustrating how the sliding movement ofthe display panel shown in FIG. 27 and FIG. 28 is guided by the guidehole receiving the pin.

As shown in FIG. 29 , in the first stage prior to the sliding, the pin421 penetrates the guide hole 412 at the position displaced to thecorner on the upper end side of the guide hole 412 as described above.The display panel 41 is then moved to slide, and this movement of thedisplay panel 41 causes the pin 421 to move within the guide hole 412along the extending direction of the guide hole 412 so that the pin 421is guided in the sliding direction D42. The sliding movement asdescribed above eliminates the positional displacement of the displaypanel 41 with respect to the device housing 42, and at this stage, thethrough holes 413 a of the fixing parts 413 of the display panel 41communicate with the screw holes 422 a of the fixed parts 422 of thedevice housing 42. Screws 414 are then screwed into the screw holes 422a through the through holes 413 a to fasten and fix the fixing parts 413to the fixed parts 422. On the upper end side opposite to the fixingparts 413 and the fixed parts 422 of the lower end side, the displaypanel 41 engages with the device housing 42 during the sliding asfollows.

FIG. 30 shows an engagement structure for the display panel and thedevice housing in a schematic cross-section taken along a line V41-V41in FIG. 28 , and FIG. 31 shows an engagement structure for the displaypanel and the device housing in a schematic cross-section taken along aline V42-V42 in FIG. 28 .

A first engagement structure shown in FIG. 30 is an engagement structureat a central part on the upper end side of the display panel 41. Thisfirst engagement structure is a fitting structure for a first engagingpart 415 of the display panel 41 and a first engaged part 423 of thedevice housing 42. The first engaging part 415 is a portion disposed atthe central part on the upper end side of the display panel 41, whichhas a branch-like cross-sectional shape and extends in the slidingdirection D42 while extending obliquely to the inner side of the devicehousing 42. The first engaged part 423 on the other side is a ribdisposed at the central part of the non-occulted portion 42 b on theupper end side of the device housing 42, which extends in a directionopposite to the sliding direction D42.

The second engagement structure shown in FIG. 31 is an engagementstructure on the lateral face side on the upper end side of the displaypanel 41, and, similarly to the first engagement structure describedabove, it is a fitting structure for a second engaging part 416 of thedisplay panel 41 and a second engaged part 424 of the device housing 42.The second engaging part 416 is a portion on the lateral face side onthe upper end side of the display panel 41, which is one step lower thanthe first engaging part 415 and which has a branch-like cross-sectionalshape and extends in the sliding direction D42. The second engaged part424 on the other side is a rib disposed on the lateral face side of thenon-occulted portion 42 b on the upper end side of the device housing42, which is one step lower than the first engaged part 423 and whichextends in a direction opposite to the sliding direction D42.

When the display panel 41 is moved to slide in the sliding directionD42, the following engagement is performed on the upper end side of eachof the display panel 41 and the device housing 42. First, at the centralpart, a distal end part of the first engaging part 415 of the displaypanel 41 is fitted to and engaged with the first engaged part 423 of thedevice housing 42 so as to overlap the first engaged part 423, as shownin FIG. 30 . At the same time, on the lateral face side, respectivedistal end parts of the second engaging part 416 of the display panel 41and the second engaged part 424 of the device housing 42 are fitted toand engaged with each other in a hooked manner, as shown in FIG. 31 . Inthis modified example, the display panel 41 is fixed to the devicehousing 42 by the screw fixation at the occulted portion 42 a shown inFIG. 28 and by the engagement at the non-occulted portion 42 b shown inFIG. 30 and FIG. 31 , providing the completed display device 4.

As with the case of the above-described embodiment, in the configurationof the above-described third modified example also, it is possible toimprove the appearance of the display device 4 without requiring aninstallation of a hood.

Further, in the configuration of the third modified example, the devicehousing 42 as a slide receiving part is provided with the pin 421, andthe display panel 41 as the slide attaching part is provided with theelongated hole-shaped guide hole 412 that receives the pin 421 to guidethe sliding movement of the display panel 41. According to thisconfiguration, with the guide hole 412 receiving the pin 421, thesliding of the display panel 41 can be successfully guided and thus theworkability regarding the attachment work can be improved.

Further, in the configuration of the third modified example, unlike theabove-described embodiment, the slide attaching part is the displaypanel 41. According to this configuration, the display panel 41 can beattached such that the fixation screws 414 are not visible by anobserver of the liquid crystal screen 411, thereby improving theappearance of the display device 4.

The description of the third modified example ends here, and now wereturn to the description relating to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 toFIG. 9 and FIG. 13 to FIG. 25 .

In this embodiment, unlike the third modified example illustrated inFIG. 26 to FIG. 31 , the display panel 11 overlaps the opening of thedevice housing 12 and is fixed with screws as shown in FIG. 5 withoutsliding the display panel 11. Here, the display device 1 of thisembodiment is provided with the following positioning structure forpositioning the display panel 11 with respect to the device housing 12such that the plurality of through holes 115 communicates with theplurality of screw holes 122.

FIG. 32 shows a positioning structure for positioning the display panelwith respect to the device housing, viewed from the display panel side,and FIG. 33 shows the positioning structure of FIG. 32 viewed from thedevice housing side. FIG. 34 shows the positioning structure of FIG. 32in a cross-section taken along a line V14-V14 in FIG. 32 .

The positioning structure shown in FIG. 32 to FIG. 34 is provided foreach of the screws 114 a at two locations on the both ends in theright-left direction D11 among the plurality of fixation screws 114 ofthe display panel 11 shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 . These positioningstructures at the two locations are the same structure with each other,and FIG. 32 to FIG. 34 show, as a representative example, the structureprovided for the right screw 114 a of FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 .

In this positioning structure, among the through hole 115 a and thescrew hole 122 a for the screw fixation by the screw 114 a, the throughhole 115 a is formed on the display panel 11 as a first hole, and thescrew hole 122 a is formed on the device housing 12 as a second hole.Further, a display-side positioning part 119 is provided on the displaypanel 11, and a housing-side positioning part 127 is provided on thedevice housing 12. The display-side positioning part 119 is a portionprovided with the through hole 115 a and configured to fit to thehousing-side positioning part 127 that is a portion of the devicehousing 12 to position the display panel 11 with respect to the devicehousing 12. The housing-side positioning part 127 is a portion which isconfigured to fit to the display-side positioning part 119 to performthe positioning and on which the screw hole 122 a is formed tocommunicate with the through hole 115 a when fitted.

Further, the display-side positioning part 119 is a portion which isprovided with a recessed part 119 a opening toward the device housing 12and on which the through hole 115 a is formed to penetrate through thebottom of the recessed part 119 a. On the other hand, the housing-sidepositioning part 127 is a protruded part configured to fit to therecessed part 119 a of the display-side positioning part 119 and is aportion on which the screw hole 122 a is formed so as to open on anabutting face 127 a that abuts on the bottom of the recessed part 119 awhen the protruded part is fitted to the recessed part 119 a. Further,the protruded part as the housing-side positioning part 127 is formedthick in an insertion direction D15 of the screw 114 a, and the screwhole 122 a is bored in the insertion direction D15 from the abuttingface 127 a.

Further, the protruded part as the housing-side positioning part 127 isformed so as to protrude from the outer face of the peripheral wall 128of the device housing 12. On the other hand, the display panel 11 is amember which extends wider than the opening of the device housing 12that is covered by the display panel 11, and the display-sidepositioning part 119 is formed on an extending portion extending beyondthe opening of the device housing 12 toward the outer periphery side soas to face the protruded part described above. Specifically, thedisplay-side positioning part 119 includes ribs 119 b provided on theback face of the display panel 11 facing the device housing 12, the ribs119 b defining the recessed part 119 a in which the housing-sidepositioning part 127 is accommodated when the opening is covered by thedisplay panel 11. This ribs 119 b are formed on the above-describedextending portion extending beyond the opening and are formed in aU-shape so as to surround, when the opening is covered by the displaypanel 11, the housing-side positioning part 127 on three sides excludingthe peripheral wall 128 of the device housing 12. A space surrounded bythe U-shaped ribs 119 b corresponds to the recessed part thataccommodates the protruded part as the housing-side positioning part127. Further, as shown in FIG. 34 , in the display-side positioning part119, a depth L11 of the recessed part 119 a is less than a length L12,from the abutting face 127 a, of the housing-side positioning part 127that is formed thick in the insertion direction D15 of the screw 114 a.

Further, in this embodiment, a pair of the protruded parts as thehousing-side positioning parts 127 are formed to protrude from therespective outer face of a pair of wall portions 128 a facing each otherof the peripheral wall 128 of the device housing 12. Further, a pair ofthe recessed parts 119 a in the display-side positioning part 119 isformed on the back face of the display panel 11 so the pair of theprotruded parts fit thereto, respectively. By forming each positioningpart on the positions described above, the positioning structure isprovided to each of the screws 114 a at two locations on the both endsin the right-left direction D11 among the plurality of screws 114 forthe screw fixation of the display panel 11. Further, a portion of thedisplay panel 11 on its outer face that is opposite to the devicehousing 12 and that corresponds to the display-side positioning part 119is provided with an outer face recess 11 b recessed to accommodate ascrew head of the screw 114 a passed through the through hole 115 a.

The above-described positioning structures of the display device 1 ofthis embodiment can provide advantageous effects as described below.

That is, according to the display device 1 described above, the throughhole 115 a is formed as a first hole for the screw fixation on thedisplay-side positioning part 119 of the display panel 11. Further, thescrew hole 122 a as a second hole for the screw fixation is formed onthe housing-side positioning part 127 of the device housing 12 that fitsto the display-side positioning part 119 to perform the positioning. Bythus forming the respective screw-fixation holes on the respectivepositioning parts of the display panel 11 and the device housing 12, thepositioning of the display panel 11 and the device housing 12 can beperformed while suppressing an increase in size of the device, and thenthe fastening by the screws 114 a can be performed.

In this embodiment, the display-side positioning part 119 is a portionwhere the through hole 115 a is formed on the bottom of the recessedpart 119 a, and the housing-side positioning part 127 is the protrudedpart where the screw hole 122 a is formed so as to open on the abuttingface 127 a that abuts on the bottom of the recessed part 119 a.According to this configuration, the recessed part 119 a is provided tothe display-side positioning part 119 of the display panel 11 that isput onto the device housing 12 to cover the opening of the devicehousing 12 during the assembly, and the housing-side positioning part127 of the device housing 12 is the protruded part that fits to therecessed part 119 a. With such recessed-and-protruded structure, therecessed part 119 a of the display-side positioning part 119 can be putonto the housing-side positioning part 127 to perform the positioning ofthe both in a manner adapting to the work of putting the display panel11 onto the device housing 12, thereby improving the workabilityregarding the positioning.

Further, in this embodiment, the through hole 115 a is formed so as topenetrate the bottom of the recessed part 119 a of the display-sidepositioning part 119. Moreover, the protruded part as the device-sidepositioning part 127 is formed thick in the insertion direction D15 ofthe screw 114 a, and the screw hole 122 a is bored in the insertiondirection D15 from the abutting face 127 a that abuts on the bottom ofthe recessed part 119 a. According to this configuration, the screw 114a is screwed into the screw hole 122 a of the device housing 12 from thedisplay panel 11 side through the through hole 115 a after thepositioning, thus the display panel 11 can be fixed using the screw tothe device housing 12 under good workability.

Further, in this embodiment, the display panel 11 includes, on the outerface thereof, the outer face recess 11 b recessed so as to accommodatethe screw head of the screw 114 a penetrating through the through hole115 a. According to this configuration, the screw head is accommodatedin the outer face recess 11 b on the display panel 11 side, thus theappearance regarding the screw fixation portion can be improved.

Further, in this embodiment, the display-side positioning part 119 isprovided with the ribs 119 b formed so as to surround the housing-sidepositioning part 127 and is configured accommodate the housing-sidepositioning part 127 in the space inside the ribs 119 b. According tothis configuration, the positioning can be performed effectively byproviding the housing-side positioning part 127 on the outer face of theperipheral wall 128 without diminishing the component accommodatingspace inside the device housing 12, and placing the housing-sidepositioning part 127 in the recessed part 119 a inside the ribs 119 b ofthe display-side positioning part 119.

Further, in this embodiment, the protruded parts as the housing-sidepositioning parts 127 and the recessed parts 119 a of the display-sidepositioning part 119 are respectively formed in a pair. According tothis configuration, by fitting the pair of protruded parts to the pairof recessed parts 119 a, the display panel 11 can be securely positionedwith respect to the device housing 12.

Further, in this embodiment, the depth L11 of the recessed part 119 a ofthe display-side positioning part 119 is less than the length L12 of thehousing-side positioning part 127. According to this configuration, thelong, protruded part of the housing-side positioning part 127 protrudesfrom the shallow recessed part 119 a of the display-side positioningpart 119 when fitted, thus it is possible to visually confirm thefitting state of both positioning parts from the side of the devicehousing 12, and this is preferable.

The embodiments described above as well as the first to third modifiedexamples are only representative forms of the display device, and thedisplay device is not limited to these embodiments or modified examples.That is, the display device can be variously modified without departingfrom its gist.

For example, the above-described embodiment and the first to thirdmodified examples show, as examples of the display device, the displaydevices 1, 2 and 3 that are configured to be installed in the uprightposition on the instrument panel C112 of the vehicle C11. However, thedisplay device is not limited thereto, and specific installation placeand installation position can be set arbitrarily.

Further, in the above-described embodiment and the first to thirdmodified examples, the display panels 11, 21, 31 and 41 including theliquid crystal screens 111, 211, 311 and 411 are shown as examples ofthe display panel. However, the display panel is not limited thereto, itmay include a display screen of a type other than the liquid crystalscreen as long as it includes a display screen.

Further, the above-described embodiment and the first to third modifiedexamples show, as examples of the display panel, the display panels 11,21, 31 and 41 having the substantially rectangular shape in a front viewas shown in various drawings. However, the display panel is not limitedthereto and specific shape thereof can be set arbitrarily.

Further, the above-described embodiment and the first to third modifiedexamples show, as examples of the display device, the display devices 1,2, 3 and 4 in which the pair of indicator regions 112 is disposed atpositions shifted to the right and the left with respect to the liquidcrystal screens 111, 211, 311 and 411. However, the display device isnot limited thereto, and arrangement and number of the display screenand/or the indicator region in the display panel can be setappropriately depending on the application and such.

Further, the above-described embodiment shows, as one example of thedisplay device, the display device 1 in which the control substrate 15is arranged so as not to face a portion on the upper end side in theupright position of each of the liquid crystal screen 111 and theindicator substrate 14. However, other arrangements are also possible aslong as the control substrate is distant from the display panel than theindicator substrate and arranged so as not to face at least a portion ofeach of the display screen and the indicator substrate. However, byarranging the control substrate 15 so as not to face a portion of theupper end side of each of the liquid crystal screen 111 and theindicator substrate 14, it is possible to improve the appearance of thedisplay device 1 in the case where the display device 1 is arranged toprotrude from the instrument panel C112, as described above.

Further, the above-described embodiment shows, as one example of thedisplay device, the display device 1 in which the indicator substrate 14and the control substrate 15 are connector connected to each other.However, other forms of connection of internal substrates are alsopossible. However, by using the connector connection it is possible toreduce the space required for the substrate connection as describedabove.

Further, the above-described embodiment shows, as one example of thedisplay device, the display device 1 in which the indicator substrate 14and the control substrate 15 are together accommodated in one devicehousing 12. However, the display device is not limited thereto, and itmay be divided into a plurality of housings to accommodate thesubstrates. However, by accommodating in one housing, it is possible toreduce the number of components relating to the housing which ispreferable, as described above.

Further, the above-described embodiment shows, as one example of theindicator region of the display panel, the indicator region 112 in whichthe diffusing portion 112 b and the blocking portion 112 c areintegrally formed by two-color molding is shown. However, the indicatorregion is not limited thereto, the diffusing portion and the blockingportion can be formed as separate parts and combined by bonding or screwfixation or the like. However, by integrally forming using two-colormolding, it is possible to further reduce the thickness of the displaydevice 1 while suppressing light leakage and luminance unevenness, asdescribed above.

Further, the first modified example described above shows, as anotherexample of the substrate arrangement, the control substrate 25 disposedbelow the indicator substrate 24 and arranged along the intersectingdirection D24. However, other arrangements are also possible as long asthe control substrate is distant from the display panel than theindicator substrate and disposed so as not to face at least a portion ofeach of the display screen and the indicator substrate. However,according to the above-described intersecting arrangement, it ispossible to reduce the overall thickness of the portion corresponding tothe display panel 21, as described above.

Further, the second modified example described above shows, as oneexample of the display device, the display device 3 in which theindicator substrate 34 and the control substrate 35 are separatelyaccommodated in two housings. However, the display device is not limitedthereto, it may be configured to accommodate all substrates together inone housing. However, by accommodating the indicator substrate 34 andthe control substrate 35 separately in two housings, it is possible toreduce the overall thickness of the housing that is viewed by anobserver.

Further, the second modified example described above shows, as oneexample of the display device, the display device 3 in which theindicator substrate 34 and the control substrate 35 are connected viathe cable connection. However, other forms of connection of internalsubstrates are also possible. However, by using the cable connection, itis possible to improve the degree of freedom of the design ofinstallation onto the installation places as described above.

Further, the above-described embodiment shows, as one example of thedisplay device, the display device 1 in which the fixing parts 131 ofthe back cover 13 as the slide attaching part and the fixed parts 123 ofthe device housing 12 constituting the slide receiving part are fixedusing the screw fixation. However, the fixation of the slide attachingpart and the slide receiving part is not limited to the screw fixation,and it is possible to adopt any fixing method. However, by adopting thescrew fixation, it is possible to improve the fixing strength andimprove the workability as described above.

Further, the above-described embodiment shows, as one example of thedisplay device, the display device 1 in which the guide slope 125 isprovided adjacent to the boss as the fixed part 123 in the devicehousing 12. However, the fixed part of the device housing may not be theboss, and the guide slope may not be provided. However, by providing thefixed part 123 as the boss and by providing the guide slope 125, it ispossible to further improve the workability regarding the attachment ofthe back cover 13 as described above.

Further, the above-described embodiment shows the engaged part 117including the engaging recess 117 a or the engaging hole 117 b as oneexample of the engaged part of the slide receiving part, and theengaging part 133 formed as the engaging claw as one example of theengaging part of the slide attaching part. However, the engaged part andthe engaging part are not limited thereto, and other engagementstructures are also possible. However, according to the engagementstructure described above, it is possible to effectively prevent asituation such as the back cover 13 accidentally falling off from thedevice housing 12, as described above.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the engaging claw across-sectional shape of which is a tapered shape is shown as oneexample of the engaging claw as the engaging part. However, the engagingclaw as the engaging part is not limited thereto, and it may have across-sectional shape other than the tapered shape. However, accordingto the engaging claw having the tapered cross-sectional shape, it ispossible to further improve the workability regarding the attachment ofthe back cover 13 as described above.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the engaging claw configuredto be press-fitted into the engaging recess 117 a or the engaging hole117 b is shown as one example of the engaging claw as the engaging part.However, the engaging claw as the engaging part is not limited theretoand it may be inserted in a manner other than the press-fitting, e.g.,it may be inserted into the engaging recess or the engaging hole withsome backlash. However, the press-fitting of the engaging claw cansuppress the abnormal noise in the use state where the display device isinstalled on the vehicle C11 as described above.

Further, the above-described embodiment shows, as one example of thedisplay device, the display device 1 in which the display panel 11constituting the slide receiving part is provided with the abutted parts118, and the back cover 13 as the slide attaching part is provided withthe abutting parts 134. However, the display device is not limitedthereto, it may not be provided with the abutted parts or the abuttingparts. However, by providing the abutted parts 118 and the abuttingparts 134, it is possible to further improve the workability regardingthe attachment of the back cover 13 as described above.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the abutted part 118provided adjacent to the engaged part 117 and the abutting part 134provided adjacent to the engaging part 133 are shown as one example ofthe abutted part and the abutting part. However, the abutted part andthe abutting part are not limited thereto, they may be provided distantfrom the engaged part and the engaging part, respectively. However,according to the above-described adjacent arrangement, the abutting part134 can be abutted on the abutted part 118 in a successful manner withsuppressed positional displacement, as described above.

Further, the above-described embodiment shows, as one example of thedisplay device, the display device 1 in which the back cover 13 includesthe ribs 135 and the display device housing 12 includes the positioningrails 126. However, the display device is not limited thereto, it may benot provided with the ribs and the positioning rails described above.However, by providing the ribs 135 and the positioning rails 126, thefixing parts 131 of the back cover 13 can be successfully positionedwith respect to the fixed parts 123 of the device housing 12 asdescribed above.

Further, the above-described embodiment shows, as one example of thepositioning rail, the positioning rail 126 that is a groove portionincluding the wide opening on the side for receiving the rib 135.However, the positioning rail is not limited thereto, it may be a groovehaving a constant width or the like. However, according to thepositioning rail 126 configured as the groove portion including the wideopening, the rib 135 can be smoothly entered during the attachment ofthe back cover 13 as described above.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the back cover 13 is shownas one example of the slide attaching part. However, the slide attachingpart is not limited thereto, it may be of other forms as long as it canbe slidably attached to the slide receiving part.

However, by using the back cover 13 as the slide attaching part, it ispossible to improve the appearance of the display device 1 including theback cover 13 as described above.

Further, the third modified example described above shows, as oneexample of the display device, the display device 4 in which the devicehousing 42 as the slide receiving part is provided with the pin 421, andthe display panel 41 as the slide attaching part is provided with theguide hole 412. However, the display device is not limited thereto, andthe pin of the slide receiving part and the guide hole of the slideattaching part may not be provided. However, by providing the guide hole412 and the pin 421, it is possible to improve the workability inattaching the display panel 41 as the slide attaching part as describedabove.

Further, in the configuration of the third modified example describedabove, the display panel 41 is shown as one example of the slideattaching part. However, the slide attaching part is not limitedthereto, it may be of other forms as long as it can be moved to slideand attached to the slide receiving part. However, by using the displaypanel 41 as the slide attaching part, it is possible to improve theappearance of the display device 4 including the display panel 41 asdescribed above.

Further, the above-described embodiment shows, as one example of thedisplay device, the display device 1 in which the through hole 115 a forscrew fixation is formed as a first hole on the display-side positioningpart 119 and the screw hole 122 a is formed as a second hole on thehousing-side positioning part 127. However, the display device is notlimited thereto, and the screw hole may be formed as a first hole on thedisplay-side positioning part and the through hole may be formed as asecond hole on the housing-side positioning part in a manner opposite tothe above-described embodiment.

Further, the above-described embodiment shows, as one example of thedisplay device, the display device 1 including the display-sidepositioning part 119 that is a portion where the through hole 115 a isformed on the bottom of the recessed part 119 a. Further, in thisembodiment, the housing-side positioning part 127 is the protruded partprovided with the screw hole 122 a opening on the abutting face 127 athat abuts on the bottom of the recessed part 119 a. However, thepositioning structure for the display panel and the device housing inthe display device is not limited to this recessed-and-protrudedstructure as described above, and it may adopt an arbitral structure.However, according to the recessed-and-protruded structure as describedabove, it is possible to improve the workability regarding thepositioning of the display panel 11 with respect to the device housing12 as described above. Also, according to this configuration, the screw114 a is screwed into the screw hole 122 a of the device housing 12 fromthe display panel 11 side through the through hole 115 a after thepositioning, thus the screw fixation can be performed under goodworkability as described above.

Further, the above-described embodiment shows, as one example of thedisplay device, the display device 1 in which the outer face of thedisplay panel 11 includes the outer face recess 11 b that accommodatesthe screw head. However, the display device is not limited thereto, andthe outer face of the display panel may not include the outer facerecess. However, by providing the outer face recess 11 b, it is possibleto improve the appearance regarding the screw fixation portion asdescribed above.

Further, the above-described embodiment shows, as one example of thedisplay device, the display device 1 in which the housing-sidepositioning part 127 is the protruded part protruding from the outerface of the peripheral wall 128 of the device housing 12, and thedisplay-side positioning part 119 includes the ribs 119 b surroundingthat protruded part. However, the display device is not limited thereto,that is, the formation position and shape and such of the housing-sidepositioning part and the display-side positioning part can be setarbitrary. However, by forming the housing-side positioning part 127 asthe protruded part protruding to the outside of the housing, and byproviding the display-side positioning part 119 with the ribs 119 bsurrounding that protruded part, it is possible to effectively performthe positioning without diminishing the component accommodating space asdescribed above.

Further, the above-described embodiment shows, as one example of thedisplay device, the display device 1 in which the protruded parts as thehousing-side positioning parts 127 and the recessed parts 119 a of thedisplay-side positioning parts 119 are respectively provided in a pair.However, the display device is not limited thereto, that is, the numberand such of the protruded parts as the housing-side positioning partsand the recessed parts of the display-side positioning parts can be setarbitrarily. However, by providing the protruded parts and the recessedparts in a pair, respectively, the display panel 11 can be securelypositioned with respect to the device housing 12 as described above.

Further, the above-described embodiment shows, as one example of thedisplay device, the display device 1 in which the depth L11 of therecessed part 119 a of the display-side positioning part 119 is lessthan the length L12 of the housing-side positioning part 127. However,the display device is not limited thereto, and the magnituderelationship between the depth of the recessed part of the display-sidepositioning part and the length of the housing-side positioning part canbe set arbitrarily. However, by adopting the magnitude relationship asdescribed above, it is possible to visually confirm the fitting state ofboth positioning parts from the side of the device housing 12 asdescribed above.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

-   1, 2, 3, 4 display device-   11,21,31,41 display panel-   11 a display-side occulted portion-   11 b outer face recess-   12, 22, 42 device housing-   12 a, 42 a occulted portion-   12 b, 42 b non-occulted portion-   12 c central axis-   13 back cover-   14, 24, 34 indicator substrate-   15, 25, 35 control substrate-   32-1 first device housing-   32-2 second device housing-   36 connecting cable-   111, 211, 311, 411 liquid crystal screen (display screen)-   112 indicator region-   112 a indicator-   112 b diffusing portion-   112 c blocking portion-   112 d fixing flange-   112 e, 115, 115 a, 131 a, 413 a through hole-   113 panel frame-   114, 114 a, 132, 414 screw-   116 eave part-   117 engaged part-   117 a engaging hole-   117 b engaging recess-   118 abutted part-   119 display-side positioning part-   119 a recessed part-   119 b, 135 rib-   121 accommodating space-   122, 123 a, 422 a screw hole-   123, 422 fixed part-   125 guide slope-   126 positioning rail-   126L left inner face-   126R right inner face-   127 housing-side positioning part-   127 a abutting face-   128 peripheral wall-   131, 413 fixing part-   133 engaging part-   133 a claw rib-   133 b, 134 b connecting rib-   134 abutting part-   134 a abutting rib-   135 a eave-shaped rib-   135 b rib body-   141 LED light source (light source component)-   321 first accommodating space-   324 second accommodating space-   412 guide hole-   421 pin-   415 first engaging part-   416 second engaging part-   423 first engaged part-   424 second engaged part-   C11, C31 vehicle-   C112, C312 instrument panel-   D11, D41 right-left direction-   D12, D42 sliding direction-   D13, D23 up-down direction-   D14 plan-view direction-   D15 insertion direction-   D24 intersecting direction-   L11 depth-   L12 length-   W11 width dimension

What is claimed is:
 1. A display device comprising: a device housingconfigured to be installed at a predetermined installation place suchthat an occulted portion of the device housing is hidden from anobserver of a display screen, the display screen being arranged on anopening side of the device housing having a bottomed tube-shape, theocculted portion including a portion of a peripheral wall of the devicehousing; a slide attaching part configured to be attached to the devicehousing so as to cover a side of the device housing on which the displayscreen is arranged, or a back side of the device housing opposite to theside on which the display screen is arranged, the slide attaching partbeing configured to slide in a sliding direction to be attached to thedevice housing, the sliding direction being a direction from anon-occulted portion to the occulted portion or from the occultedportion to the non-occulted portion, the non-occulted portion beingarranged on a side of the device housing opposite to the occultedportion with respect to a central axis of the device housing having thebottomed tube-shape, wherein a slide receiving part including the devicehousing and excluding the slide attaching part includes: a fixed partwhich is provided at the occulted portion and on which the slideattaching part is fixed; and an engaged part which is provided at thenon-occulted portion and with which the slide attaching part is engaged,and wherein the slide attaching part includes: a fixing part provided ata portion corresponding to the occulted portion and configured to befixed to the fixed part, and an engaging part provided at a portioncorresponding to the non-occulted portion and configured to be engagedwith the engaged part.
 2. The display device according to claim 1,wherein a screw hole is provided at the fixed part of the slidereceiving part, the fixing part of the slide attaching part is a portionwhich protrudes so as to overlap the fixed part and which includes athrough hole formed at a position that communicates with the screw hole,and the fixing part is configured to be fastened and fixed to the fixedpart by a screw passed through the through hole and screwed into thescrew hole.
 3. The display device according to claim 2, wherein thefixed part is a boss which protrudes in a cylindrical shape and insideof which is the screw hole, the slide receiving part further includes aguide slope arranged adjacent to the boss, the guide slope extending inthe sliding direction to a distal end face of the boss where the screwhole opens and having a height that gradually increases with respect tothe sliding direction, and the guide slope is configured to guide thefixing part to the distal end face of the boss during attachment of theslide attaching part.
 4. The display device according to claim 1,wherein the engaged part of the slide receiving part is provided with anengaging hole or an engaging recess, and the engaging part of the slideattaching part is an engaging claw configured to be fitted to andengaged with the engaging hole or the engaging recess.
 5. The displaydevice according to claim 4, wherein the engaging claw as the engagingpart is formed such that its shape of a cross-section along the slidingdirection and intersecting the slide attaching part is a tapered shapetapered toward a distal end of the engaging claw.
 6. The display deviceaccording to claim 4, wherein the engaging claw as the engaging part isformed such that a width dimension of the engaging claw when viewed froma plan-view direction with respect to the slide attaching part is adimension that the engaging claw press-fits into the engaging hole orthe engaging recess to position the fixing part with respect to thefixed part.
 7. The display device according to claim 1, wherein theslide receiving part further includes an abutted part configured suchthat the slide attaching part abuts on the abutted part when the fixingpart of the slide attaching part is moved to an attachment positionwhere the fixing part overlaps with the fixed part, and the abutted partthereby restricts movement of the slide attaching part beyond theattachment position during attachment of the slide attaching part, andthe slide attaching part further includes an abutting part which abutson the abutted part when the slide attaching part reaches to theattachment position.
 8. The display device according to claim 7, whereinin the slide receiving part, the abutted part is provided adjacent tothe engaged part on the non-occulted portion, and in the slide attachingpart, the abutting part is provided adjacent to the engaging part at aportion corresponding to the non-occulted portion.
 9. The display deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the slide attaching part further includesa rib formed so as to extend in the sliding direction, and the slidereceiving part further includes a positioning rail extending in thesliding direction to receive the rib during attachment of the slideattaching part to position the fixing part with respect to the fixedpart.
 10. The display device according to claim 9, wherein thepositioning rail is a groove portion which opens wider on a side thereofthat receives the rib during the attachment of the slide attaching partthan rest of the groove portion.
 11. The display device according toclaim 1, wherein the slide receiving part further includes a pinprotruding toward the slide attaching part, and the slide attaching partincludes a guide hole which is formed in an elongated hole-shapeextending in the sliding direction and which is configured to receivethe pin during the attachment of the slide attaching part to guidesliding movement of the slide attaching part.
 12. The display deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the slide attaching part is a back coverconfigured to be attached so as to cover the back side of the devicehousing of the slide receiving part.
 13. The display device according toclaim 1, wherein the slide attaching part is a display panel includingthe display screen and configured to be attached so as to cover a sideof the device housing of the slide receiving part on which the displayscreen is arranged.